Stocks to Stock

Sauce, sauce and more sauce. I've been pretty excited for this class. Sauce is one of the most important elements to a fabulous dish. When I arrived to class, my partner wasn't around yet but I figured she was just running late. No problem. I can make a sauce, right?

Class started out seeming pretty easy with a Fond de Veau Lie and a Bechamel. The first is basically reduced veal stock with a slurry of Madeira wine and arrowroot to thicken. Simple - I can do that! Just boil. Bechamel is pretty simple too although I managed to brown my roux a little too much and had to redo that element before I could continue. Regardless, you're basically just looking at a roux and milk. No sweat. Chef quickly turned our bechamel into truffle mac and cheese for the class. If only I had some truffle laying around my Manhattan kitchen.

Then things started to get interesting. Chef demonstrated the next two sauces, tomato and Espagnole. It always looks so simple when he does it! And isn't exactly challenging if you have someone to share the chopping with! As chef is chopping like a mad man, I'm searching frantically for my partner. Still not here. I guess I really am on my own for this one.

I started on the Espagnole confident and happy. I have this under control. I am organized and maintaining excellent "mise en palce." I got the sauce on to simmer and started collecting ingredients for the tomato sauce. I think this is where things started to go downhill. Since the tomato sauce isn't strained it required a lot of carrots, onion and celery chopped "brunoise." (about 1-2 millimeter cubes - YIKES). Needless to say, this took forever on my own. I chopped straight through the dinner break.

Just as I was thinking I was getting back under control the chef started demoing the final 2 sauces while I was still stuggling to get the tomato on the stove. Now, these final sauces are derivations of the previous made mother sauces so it's important that I get caught up. I tried to utilize my multitasking skills and pay attention to his instructions and tips while finishing my own sauces but it's not easy! Not to mention it is sounding like I need to cisele a bunch of shallots and collect a million other ingredients.

I am still convinced that I will do this but time is looking short. 1 hour left and 2 sauces to go. I reduced the red wine, shallot, mignonette of peppercorn, thyme and bay leaf for the sauce bordelaise while prepping mushrooms and ingredients for the sauce chasseur. Long story short, I almost flambeed my arm but did succeed in making some pretty tasty sauces. As the clock approached 10:45pm I was cleaned up and ready for review. I looked around and realized that I had accomplished 6 sauces all by myself in the same time it took other teams of 2 to do the same. Not too shabby. I left the kitchen with 6 quarts of sauce and I'm looking forward to turning these sauces into some tasty dishes in my own kitchen tonight.